
==== Front
Cureus
Cureus
2168-8184
Cureus
2168-8184
Cureus Palo Alto (CA)

10.7759/cureus.66177
Integrative/Complementary Medicine
Pediatrics
Quality Improvement
Bridging The Gap: Essential Role of Parents and Caregivers In Their Child's Management in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit
Muacevic Alexander
Adler John R
Patil Manojkumar G 1
Tambolkar Sampada 1
Tyagi Neha 1
Salunkhe Shradha 1
Mane Shailaja V 1
1 Pediatrics, Dr. D. Y. Patil Medical College, Hospital, and Research Centre, Dr. D.Y. Patil Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pune, IND
Neha Tyagi nehat312@gmail.com
5 8 2024
8 2024
16 8 e6617719 7 2024
5 8 2024
Copyright © 2024, Patil et al.
2024
Patil et al.
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
This article is available from https://www.cureus.com/articles/278959-bridging-the-gap-essential-role-of-parents-and-caregivers-in-their-childs-management-in-the-pediatric-intensive-care-unit
The importance of parental involvement in the care and management decisions made for children hospitalized in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) is examined in this editorial. Initial days and weeks in a PICU can be challenging for the child and family due to the emotional intensity and medical complexity of the therapy a child receives. Regardless of the result, families may feel uncertain and anxious that their child may die or have a terrible outcome. The majority of pediatric patient deaths in hospitals happen in the PICU. Recognizing and supporting the crucial role of parents or caretakers in informed decision-making and management of their child’s condition is essential for advancing prevention, detection, and treatment efforts.

parent education
parent attitude
picu
patient and family-centered care
family-centered care
==== Body
pmcEditorial

Numerous research studies have found the possibility that some parents may develop symptoms of anxiety, sadness, or post-traumatic stress disorder when their child is admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). It is recommended that parents have follow-up appointments with PICU health specialists following their child's release to promote their psychological well-being. There may be long-term psychological repercussions and a link between parents' psychological anguish and their children's long-term psychological well-being. A collaborative approach to healthcare, family-centered care (FCC), upholds the parental role and the parents' engagement in their child's upbringing. As part of its mission to facilitate "more effective, efficient, and empathic pediatric health care," the Family and Children's Center encourages dialogue between families and pediatric healthcare providers [1]. The following five elements are recognized: 1) information sharing; 2) hearing from parents; 3) decision-making foror with parents; 4) role-negotiating; and 5) personalizing communication. These themes draw attention to several differences in how parents view and desire to be involved in their child's care by professionals [2]. From parents as caregivers to parents as recipients of care, parental preferences for engagement vary in the areas of information sharing, decision-making, and power sharing. The PICU culture is gradually changing to involve parents in all facets of their child's care and to promote collaborations between parents and members of the healthcare team as a result of the drive for family-centered pediatric care.

Even though the concept of FCC is regarded as the gold standard of care in pediatrics, its application faces many difficulties, particularly in the PICU context. First, it is challenging to assess the efficacy of the FCC because there is disagreement over its definition and since definitions frequently enumerate a wide range of concepts [3]. Second, it can be challenging to predict definitive outcomes for patients in the PICU due to their unstable and/or unpredictable medical conditions. This can cause parents to become more anxious and create more communication difficulties [4]. Further study is needed to ensure that the care provided in the PICU to patients and their families is family-centered and encompasses all fundamental principles. Parents of children in the PICU have expressed feelings of discontent with the exchange of information and communication, mostly due to the uncertainty around their child's prognosis and the therefore frequently evolving treatment plan. Physicians must acknowledge that parents experience stress due to the unpredictable nature of a child's PICU trajectory. Additional measures are required to enhance parent satisfaction with information sharing and promote consistent communication. Furthermore, parents of kids who spent a lot of time in the PICU have expressed that they would rather have the same nurses care for their kids every time [5]. It is necessary to conduct research to elucidate the environmental and cultural obstacles that have impeded the implementation of consistent nurse-caregiver assignments in the PICU.

To conclude, healthcare providers should keep in mind that parents anticipate that they will be able to participate in their child's care, that their requests for dependable nurses will be honored, and that they will regularly have open, sincere, and caring information exchanged through family meetings and rounds. As stated by the Institute for Patient and Family-Centered Care, providing high-quality, patient- and family-centered intensive care requires considering the physical and cultural environment of the PICU [6].

Disclosures

Author Contributions

Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following:

Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work.

Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work.

Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Concept and design:  Neha Tyagi, Manojkumar G. Patil, Sampada Tambolkar, Shradha Salunkhe, Shailaja V. Mane

Acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data:  Neha Tyagi, Manojkumar G. Patil, Sampada Tambolkar, Shradha Salunkhe, Shailaja V. Mane

Drafting of the manuscript:  Neha Tyagi, Manojkumar G. Patil, Sampada Tambolkar, Shradha Salunkhe, Shailaja V. Mane

Critical review of the manuscript for important intellectual content:  Neha Tyagi, Manojkumar G. Patil, Sampada Tambolkar, Shradha Salunkhe, Shailaja V. Mane

Supervision:  Neha Tyagi, Manojkumar G. Patil, Sampada Tambolkar, Shradha Salunkhe, Shailaja V. Mane
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